Winterfylleth’s Chris Naughton: A Deep Dive Into UK Black Metal
If you’d have asked me to write some thoughts reflecting on the UK black metal scene in 2006 (when we first started WINTERFYLLETH) I think this would have been a very short article. But as I sit here in 2021, a year after we released our seventh album The Reckoning Dawn, it’s quite clear to me that there has been a huge upturn in the amount of quality bands coming from this country since then.
Considering black metal on a more global level, I think it’s fair to say that the UK was a fairly late bloomer in terms of bands generating a unique amount of output in the genre. Certainly it was a long time before the UK was ever seen as a credible place from which black metal could arise. Obviously there were always bands like CRADLE OF FILTH, BAL SAGOTH & HECATE ENTHRONED that were around in the scene, but to me, I always associated them with the Scandinavian scene, and never really “UKBM” as such. Not like it is now anyway.
In 2006 there were only a handful of BM bands from the UK doing anything of note, and so in some ways I would consider that handful of bands to be the most important ones initially. As well as WINTERFYLLETH, there were WODENSTHRONE, FEN, SAOR (but in previous incarnations) & A FOREST OF STARS that formulated that initial ‘core’ group of UK bands; at least to my mind. Equally there were other bands like SKALDIC CURSE, ICENI, NIROTH and others who were around for a short while as well, although with the exception of SKALDIC CURSE, not many of the others lasted very long, as far as I know.
Moving into the more recent few years there are almost too many new and upcoming bands to mention, and there are definitely a lot of great albums that have come along as a result. With that in mind I wanted to dig a little bit deeper into my vinyl/CD archive and cover off some of the key UK black metal bands, my favourite of their albums, and provide some insight into the upcoming bands that have resonated with me as well: –
Part One: Core Bands
WODENSTHRONE – Curse (Candlelight, 2012)
When WODENSTHRONE decided to call it a day a few years ago it was a very sad loss for UK black metal. They made some amazing music in their time and faded away too quickly for my liking; as they definitely had a lot more to offer. Of their two full length albums I would say that Curse is my favourite (although there is very little to choose between them in terms of quality) as it contains the song The Name Of The Wind – which is their finest hour for me. Most of the band have recently re-grouped as NEMOROUS and are due to release a debut EP/mini album this month on Bindrune Records. I expect great things there, and regardless, it will just be good to see them back, albeit in an unfamiliar guise.
FEN – Carrion Skies (Code 666, 2014)
FEN are great friends of ours and have been a consistently brilliant band over the years. They have a large discography by this point and they recently released their sixth full-length album The Dead Light, which is excellent. I’ve chose Carrion Skies to focus on here because it contains my favourite song of theirs, Menhir – Supplicant, which is a brilliant, expansive track. Fen have a unique way of crafting these emotional and spacious tracks on their albums that have a strange ability to make the running time melt away. They have been touring partners of ours on many occasions and deserve all the praise they get. Also, singer and guitarist The Watcher is the driving force behind another great UK black metal band, FELLWARDEN, who we will come back for later in this article.
A FOREST OF STARS – Beware The Sword You Cannot See (Lupus Lounge, 2015)
One of the more theatrical of UK black metal bands, and as a result, also one of the most unique. AFOS’s take on black metal is drenched in satire and Victoriana, but don’t let that fool you as there is darkness and depth within their canon. Amazing wordplay in the lyrics marries up with slightly off-the-wall song-writing to produce a sound that is entirely their own. They are also one of the only bands (with the exception of NEUROSIS maybe) that have a visuals member, The Projectionist. He also does some amazing videos, as well as visuals and projections at the shows that really adds a nice dimension to their overall aesthetic. A great band, who fairly recently released the excellent album Grave Mounds & Grave Mistakes, but for me I really love Beware The Sword… for many reasons, but mainly because of the great six song ‘sexpartite’ called Pawn On The Universal Chessboard.
SAOR – Forgotten Paths (Avantgarde, 2019)
While it was much later on in the timeline when SAOR really cemented the presence of Andy Marshall as a leading creative force on the scene, he, like the aforementioned bands, is someone who I would consider to be a key artist in the surge of UK black metal since the early 2000’s. Having gone through a few incarnations and projects in the early years – as ASKIVAL, FALLOCH & ARSAIDH, before landing on SAOR, Andy has always made great and emotive albums with each of those projects, but it was with SAOR where he really found a huge voice on the international scale. Forgotten Paths is the most recent SAOR album, and for me is one of the best. Great production, really great songs and a reverent sense of Scottishness is ever present in his expansive and passionate music. Andy also has the black metal project FUATH, who have an new album called II out on Season Of Mist.
WINTERFYLLETH – The Reckoning Dawn (Candlelight/Spinefarm 2020)
Having spent the previous two years in a very different creative space, touring an acoustic album and bringing those shows to unique venues all over the UK and Europe, we returned to the realms of black metal in 2020 with our latest album, The Reckoning Dawn. I would describe it as a visceral & emotive new WINTERFYLLETH album that we are all truly proud of. We’ve taken the time over the last few years to craft and grow our sound into different musical areas, really wanting to contrast that on this album; taking what we had learned from those acoustic album writing experiences and distilling that into what we have created here. To me it feels like a mighty, passionate and essential album of songs that push the boundaries of what a WINTERFYLLETH metal album can be, but that also harkens back to our more traditional black metal sound in a more immediate way. It’s out now Candlelight/Spinefarm Records.
Part Two: Newer Bands
THE DEATHTRIP – Demon Solar Totem (Svart Records, 2019)
As soon as the chorus for Demon Solar Totem comes out of the speakers it is clear this is a fantastic new album from one of the more mysterious UK bands. It very much has a feeling of the early black metal albums and now has the welcome addition of Mat ‘Kvohst’ McNerney (Also of HEXVESSEL/GRAVE PLEASURES) on vocals. A moody and atmospheric affair that I found to be a real grower, in that it reveals more and more depth with each listen. They did another album a few years ago which is also excellent, called Deep Drone Master. Both albums also feature the drumming prowess of the masterful Dan Mullins, who really adds a great vibe here.
NECRONAUTICAL – Apotheosis (Candlelight, 2019)
Having joined us on our 10-year anniversary tour in 2017 it was clear that NECRONAUTICAL were bound for bigger things. Having started off life as a side project (I think) for ex-ETHEREAL singer, (and now current WINTERFYLLETH lead guitar player) Naut, they quickly became a big presence on the UK scene and were signed to Candlelight for the release of their recent, and arguably best album so far, Apotheosis.
Whilst they occupy the more symphonic end of black metal, I don’t think that is to their detriment (despite me not generally loving symphonic black metal, as its can often be overdone) and the album shines through with great songs, and riffs as a result. The have a new album called ‘Slain In The Spirit’ due out 20th August 2021 on Candlelight/Spinefarm. Keep a look out.
FELLWARDEN – Oathbearer (Eisenwald, 2017)
A side project created by The Watcher & Havenless from FEN, FELLWARDEN are a great band in their own right. I really enjoy their first album Oathbearer as it has a very direct and more immediate style of riffing than much of what they have explored in FEN. To me that is a really good thing in the sense that it has an identity of its own and is not just covering similar ground musically. Conceptually the lyrics are based in the North of England around the fells and the lake district. Definitely worth checking out. They released their second album Wreathed in Mourncloud in 2020 also. So check that out as well.
VEGARD – Call From The Forest (UKEM, 2019)
One of the more recent editions to the UK black metal scene, VEGARD have made a name for themselves very quickly by releasing two great albums (since 2018) as well as a string of demos. Harkening back to the early years of black metal, their output is atmospheric and raw but has a charm and presence to it that has been really resonating with fans in the underground. They recently released their third album Aeons of Winter Eclipse and continue to grow from strength to strength.
WOLVENCROWN – Of Bark & Ash (Avantgarde, 2019)
Another relatively new band on the scene who having been making waves, touring with SAOR, GRIFT and others in the past few years. They released their first album Of Bark & Ash in 2019 and recently followed it up with a new EP on Clobber Records as well. A great and promising band whose debut album continued the journey on from their previous, self-titled four track EP. They are an atmospheric bunch and while I liked the EP, their live performances and the new album have really helped the songs to shine. I think there is a lot more to expect from these boys in the coming years, so be sure to have a listen.
NINE COVENS – Thy Unknowing Servants (Ulthar, 2017)
A spin off black metal project featuring members of WINTERFYLLETH, as well as ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, & ex-ENT members. A slightly more orthodox take on black metal at points but mixed with the feeling of bands like PARADISE LOST and SLOWDIVE as well. Sometimes expansive, sometimes to the point, sometimes a little ‘post black metal’, Nine Covens joins together black metal & punk members to create something quite unique. After two full length albums on Candlelight, the band appeared on the recent Speed Kills compilation and released Thy Unknowing Servants on Ulthar Recs.
ARX ATRATA – Oblivion (Independent, 2013)
Another quite mysterious project whose main perpetrator it took me many years to finally meet. Their sound is a bit more in the realms of floating and spacious black metal and while the music is very expansive and atmospheric in nature, the generally quite slow pace is to its advantage. I feel that pacing and structure makes it quite unique, in the sense that is seems to breath black metal outwards in a very different way than usual. One to be heard and appreciated for sure. He’s done two other albums since the one I mention here. One called Spiritus In Terra and the other called The Path Untravelled, but I still go back to the first album Oblivion the most. Great feeling and sound on this one. Very much recommended.
FYRDSMAN – Forgotten Beneath The Soil (Mynydd Du, 2010)
FYRDSMAN have always been a bit of an enigma when it comes to UK black metal. They’ve always been around, and they have generally had bits and pieces going on behind the scenes, but they’ve only put out one full-length and one EP. They struggled for a long time to get a live line up together, which is a shame because they could have been a much bigger and bolder presence. The album Omen to the Sky is really good, and definitely worth getting, but for me, I think the first EP Forgotten Beneath The Soil is a real triumph. Great songs and a some really memorable moments, including a reverent cover of the FOREFATHER track Natural Chaos.
Part Three: FOREFATHER
In doing an article like this it would obviously be very remiss of me not to mention FOREFATHER in some capacity. Whilst I believe they don’t like to be referred to within black metal (and would rather be called Anglo Saxon metal – which I broadly agree with), they are undoubtedly a hugely influential presence to many UK black metal bands, ourselves included. They were around long before 2006 – when the UK black metal scene started to flourish – and they’ve always been around since then, making great albums in the background.
I always found it strange that they never decided to bring the band to the live environment and how they continued to exist in the shadows of the scene, despite being a very popular band globally. I think they could have made – and maybe still make – a huge impact if they brought the band to the live scene; as there is clearly a huge demand for it. But equally, it works for DARKTHRONE, so maybe they have it right. Who knows?
I first heard of them when they released the album Engla Tocyme, (which is great and has some real stand out moments on it), but It was the song The Shieldwall on their album Ours Is the Kingdom that really turned me onto them fully. I would say that somewhere between that album, and its successor Steadfast, is probably their sweet spot for me. They have this very epic, heavy-metal-meets-black-metal kind of sound, in that its not really either entirely. It has a very heroic, uplifting and triumphant qualities of heavy metal, but married with some of the blasts and tremolo stylings of black metal. It’s a unique blend, and it works really well. If you don’t know them, then you probably should, as they have a big discography by this point and its generally very well regarded. For me, start with Ours Is The Kingdom and go from there.
Part Four: Other Great Bands & Releases
While you can’t cover every single band in an article like this – and maybe I should leave that level of detail to Dayal/Cult Never Dies to handle at some point in the future anyway – there are lots of other great albums and bands that have come from the UK scene in the last few years. Here are some of them, that I’m more familiar with: –
WODE – Burn In Many Mirrors (20 Buck Spin, 2021)
NINKHARSAG – The Blood of Celestial Kings (Candlelight, 2015) & The Dread March Of Solemn Gods (Vendetta, 2021)
THE INFERNAL SEA – Negotium Crucis (Apocalyptic Witchcraft, 2020)
ANTRE – Void (Withered Hand, 2019)
WYNTER MYST – Frore (Blackwood Productions, 2021)
OLD CORPSE ROAD – On Ghastly Shores Lays The Wreckage Of Our Lore (Trollzorn, 2020)
CRIMSON THRONE – Of Void & Solitude (Apocalyptic Witchcraft, 2018)
SKALDIC CURSE – Devourer (Apocalyptic Witchcraft, 2019)
DEADWOOD LAKE – Forest of Whispers (UKEM, 2017)
ABDUCTION – All Pain As Penance (Inferna Profundus, 2019)
CNOC AN TURSA – The Giants Of Auld (Candlelight, 2013)
THY DYING LIGHT – S/T (Purity Through Fire, 2020)
ASHES – The Immutable Storm (Independent, 2018)
BURIAL – Unholy Sedition (UKEM, 2020)
BLOOD COUNTESS – S/T (Independent, 2019)
There are some gems to be discovered in the UKBM scene, and I hope having read this article that you are inspired to dig further into some of them and find out for yourself. Thanks for reading. Chris Naughton.
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